Kelty Dirt Motel 2 Person Dome Tent Review

While creating this review of the Dirt Motel 2, we examined the data from two hundred and fifty-four other 2 person dome tents, analyzing more than sixty different details. We also looked at the total cost including shipping & discounts at thirteen various retailers online stores, to source the best deal for you.

The Dirt Motel Fly Open
Kelty's Dirt Motel 2 With the Fly Open
In this review, we will present to you:
  • A summary of the reviews we read.
  • A comprehensive overview of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons of the shelter.
  • The Best Value that we Found!

Here at optimumtents.com our reviews are produced with the aid of our unique dataset of more than 1,000 shelters, that are sold in the USA. Our goal is to give you an honest review and our own unique rating based on the data, along with the lowest price and best value we could find. At this moment in time, this tent is no longer listed on the manufactures website or in the other thirteen stores we check daily.

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  • Kelty Logo
  • Manufacturer: Kelty
  • Model: Dirt Motel
  • MPN: 40815419
  • Sleeping Capacity: 2 Persons
  • Designed For: 3 Seasons
  • Best Use: Backpacking
  • Type: Dome Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $259.95

Dirt Motel 2 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Dirt Motel With the Fly Off

Kelty Dirt Motel 2 With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Dirt Motel 2

Fly Closed Dirt Motel 2

A video about the Dirt Motel 2 tent.

Another video about Kelty's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: Yes
  • Color: Gray, Blue
  • Number of Rooms: 1
  • Number of Windows: None
  • Number of Doors: 2
  • Zippers: Noiseless pulls
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: No, No
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: Yes, Yes
  • Footprint: Not Included, Available Separately
  • Dirt Motel 2 floor saver
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: No-See-Um Mesh
  • Full Fly: 40D Siliconized Nylon Ripstop
    Fly Waterproof Ratings: 1500 mm
  • Floor Materials: 70D Nylon / PU Coating
    Floor Waterproof Ratings: 3000 mm
  • Pole Material: Aluminum DAC Pressfit
  • Number Of Poles: 3
  • Pole Dimensions: N/A
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Aluminium
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 28 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 3 foot. 7 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 4 Lbs 13 Oz
    Trail Weight: 4 Lbs. 4 Oz.
  • Packed Size: 15 x 6 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: 2
    Total Vestibule Area: 9.00 sq. ft.
    (2 x 4.5 sq. ft.)
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Hubbed aluminum pole set for easy packing and lightning-fast setup.

Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

Campers who bought the tent said: Light, super easy and quick to set up two huge entrances, stargazing option, I can sit (I am 5.5), and not feeling claustrophobic. The poles are super easy to assemble and DURABLE. The tent stayed dry on dewy summer days. It poured rain every day, and the only solace we had was that inside the tent stayed dry the whole time. Great tent! Safe from the bugs, but still able to enjoy the stars and clouds! Stayed bug-free, warm, and dry in the rain! Having a door on each side with dual vestibules is incredibly convenient. Considering how small it packs down, to how much usable floor space there is once it is set up, the overall quality and well thought out features excel.


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

People who purchased the tent noted: The tent pegs are a bit flimsy and bend easily if you need to hammer them into dense soil. The only hiccup was unzipping the rain cover layer from the inside as it caught on the fabric a few times.


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Alps Mountaineering Lynx 2
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SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Dirt Motel 2 has two doors and a maximum center height of 3' 7, which is a tiny bit less than the average height of the 211 other 2 person tents we have examined With 28 square feet of room inside, it is considerably smaller than some other 2-person tents, and it would be quite tight for you and, another camper during the 3-seasons, this tent is recommended for use in, smaller tents similar to this one make a fantastic choice for campers who appreciate spending plenty of time outside their tent getting some air.

Some of the great points about dome tents are, that they are generally speaking lightweight, making them easy to carry around. In near all instances, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very easy to set up. In calm weather, you could do without guy lines and stakes, not that this is recommended.

Dome tents are the most commonly seen of all the other sorts of tents you will see when camping. They tend to do better in bad weather than other types, allowing rain to easily slide off the sloped sides, unlike cabin tents that have flat roofs, allowing the rain to pool on the top of the tent. The simplest dome tent should have a rectangular footprint, slanted sides a couple of poles which converge in the middle of the roof. Due to their construction, it is generally considered that they are ideal for up to a maximum of 6 campers.

Underneath you can check out an account of the tent's strongest and weakest points.

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PROS

  1. Freestanding. The Dirt Motel can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not even have to be staked down in most cases. But in case of strong winds, it is always best to secure it to the ground with the included steel stakes and guylines.
  2. Vestibules. Having two vestibules. Offers you somewhere to store shoes and other items that can get dirty, muddy, this is a big plus.
  3. Internal storage. It is nice to see Kelty has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your stuff.
  4. More than one door. With 2 doors, it is simpler to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
  5. Durable, water-resistant floor. The floor material is 70D Nylon / PU coating , which is a substantially thick and high-strength fabric. Meaning the base is not prone to rips and punctures. Also, the material has a 3000 mm waterproofing rating, which is very good for most circumstances.
  6. Breathable. The Dirt Motel's interior uses a mesh fabric on the inside of the tent, and this helps maximize the flow of air. With the extra ventilation, and this tent is great for use in the warmer months.
  7. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the whole body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1500mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy rain.
  8. Available in other sizes. Kelty has also made this model available in Other Sizes.
  9. Low price. It is a great purchase for a 2 person dome tent that provides this much space. Not a lot of tents available on the market provide this level of quality for only $259.95

CONS

  1. Not spacious. With a floor area of 28 square feet, the Dirt Motel 2 is smaller than quite a lot of the 211 other 2 person tents we have looked at.
  2. Lacking in Headroom. With 8% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative thing for some campers.
  3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, there is one available separately specifically for the Dirt Motel 2 footprint Even though the floor may be made of 70D Nylon / PU coating , it is still best to protect it further with a footprint, especially on rough terrain.
  4. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have many things to rave about. The sloping sides do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

CONCLUSION

4.9 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 4.9 STARS

Kelty's Dirt Motel 2 tent is good for backpacking. There are a few other things not mentioned above which, we found and liked, while reviewing the model: Lightweight yet durable Sil-Nylon fabric construction, Open-feeling 2-door, 2-vestibule design with tons of storage and Updated replacement for the older Kelty TN Tent.

With great ratings, a couple of reviews and headroom of 3' and 28 square feet of space to enjoy, this tent is like your very own miniature home away from home. This enables you to enjoy some delightful time hanging out with nature. We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can check out above.

If you came to this page looking for an endorsement on this specific tent, our view is, it should make for a great purchase. If you simply happened to land on this website while looking for a brand new tent having not heard of this brand or this model previously, it is probably a good idea to look at a few other similar tents also.

Value for money: In terms of value for money, this tent is a lot cheaper than the usual price of all the two hundred and ninety-two, two-person tents we have looked at, this alone does not make it good value for money. One should also look at other factors in detail, as we do for each tent.

When we tally up the valuation of an individual tent, we consider tons of things, finding areas where the tent could beat out other very similar tents and where it is coming up short. On this occasion, with an overall score of 4.9 and the price conclusions above, It is simple enough to observe that with a cost of $259.95 The Dirt Motel 2 is a very good bargain and fabulously priced when compared with similar tents.

Its ratings show that the build and space the tent offers were not compromised to obtain a price significantly below the standard price for comparable tents. It will make a superb choice for most campers looking for a comfortable three-season backpacking tent to go camping with, that will serve you well for years to come.

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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

KELTY TENT MODELS

BACKPACKING TENTS || DOME TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the Kelty Dirt Motel Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

Kelty Dirt Motel 2
Dirt Motel 2

3' 7"28 sq ft

Kelty Dirt Motel 3
Dirt Motel 3

3' 7"40 sq ft

Kelty Dirt Motel 4
Dirt Motel 4

3' 10"56 sq ft
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